Dance of Flames
by Morturtle
Summary: Set in Victorian-era Britain, Katniss is desperate to make enough money to buy her younger sister's safe passage to London. To do so, she takes a job as the maid to Cato Greene, a teen with immeasurable wealth. As she draws closer to him, she finds herself tangled in a net of lies, treachery, and illicit romance. Her life will never be the same. AU Victorian-era , Cato/Katniss.


Sunlight slants across my eyes and I blink dazedly, trying to shoo it away. Eventually I'm forced to conclude that sleep won't be returning to me. Sitting up in bed, I pull my thin nightgown closer to my bony frame and shiver.

Prim is still fast asleep. I watch my younger sister for a moment, marveling at the way the sunlight dances on her hair. She's going to be beautiful someday. She'll be married to a rich man and have dresses and servants and children, someday, all because she is beautiful.

I put my hand on her arm and shake her gently. She makes a soft sound and looks up at me, sleep clouding her eyes. "K-Katniss?" she asks, reaching for me. Without hesitation I bend down and clasp her close to my chest, pulling her into a sitting position. She wriggles and manages to extricate herself from my grip. Her big blue eyes are frightened, and she's biting her bottom lip. "Do you have to?" she asks, and I know what she's talking about.

I sigh heavily. "Yes, little duck," I tell her, petting her silky hair. "I have to." I glance out the window, at the sun. I'm a fool; there was no need to wake Prim up so early. I forgot how bright it gets here, in the summer.

"You go back to sleep," I tell her. "I'm sorry for waking you."

She ignores me, clinging to my fingers. "Where are you going?"

"Not far. I promised Gale I'd say goodbye to him."

"Oh." Her eyes are still nervous. "Come back when you're done, okay?"

"Of course, sweetheart," I tell her sincerely, getting to my feet. She settles back against her pillow, watching with wide eyes as I strip naked. My dress is still a bit damp from the scrubbing I gave it last night, but it will have to do. I am aware that I will be given new clothes once I have arrived at Master Greene's manor.

I grimace, forcing the thought away. _Master Greene. _I may be a servant but I'm not giving anyone the satisfaction of hearing me say the word "master." As I move past my mother's bed and towards the door, I consider the folly in my actions. It is going to be _most _difficult for me to do this. The idea of bending my knee and bowing my head to a man who considers himself superior… It doesn't sit well with me.

I slip out the door and the muggy Spanish air settles in my sinuses. If we had been any shade of sensible, we would have stayed in Britain. But I was young when my family made the move to Spain, and Prim was only a babe. I suppose it was my father's doing. He had a prominent position in the Dutch East-India Trading Company, or so I've been told. His occupation hardly mattered, once he was dead and buried in soil that was not even close to his own.

I meet Gale where I always do, at the edge of the town, nearing the beginnings of the forest. Our little colony is on the coast, as far away from the claws and teeth of the forest as possible. I used to be frightened of the lush greenery and the strange sounds, but the forest became a place of solace for me. Gale would sometimes hunt in its murky depths, and what he brought back we would divide amongst ourselves, for our respective fatherless families.

On my day of departure, we are not planning anything so grand. I believe that Gale managed to obtain some kind of treat for us. Gale can be secretive and he has not yet told me what it is. A smile slips onto my face. If this were anyone but Gale, I would have _made _them tell me by now.

I move past rudely constructed huts and houses and leave the colony behind me. My eyes search, and there he is, leaning against our usual tree. When he sees me he smiles, but the smile is tainted with bitterness. I bite the inside of my lip as I hurry towards him. Gale doesn't want me to leave.

"Hello, Katniss," he says. Gale and I have never been people for physical closeness, and it would have been improper of us to engage in anything of the kind. But this is my last day with him, and I want to make it count. I ignore his greeting and lean in, wrapping my arms around him. He hesitates only a moment before returning the embrace, rubbing his hand in soothing circles on my back.

We break apart after a moment and Gale flops to the ground. He's holding something in his arms protectively, and I settle down beside him to get a closer look. I sniff and the smell of pastry hits me. My stomach growls and I stare at the flaky bun Gale is holding. "It's all I could afford," he says. "I'm not quite sure what it is, but I thought it looked good." With a grin, he rips it in half and tosses one piece to me. "Enjoy."

He doesn't have to tell me. I bite into it and the buttery taste envelops me in pleasure. The pastry is gone too quickly than I'd like, leaving me licking my lips in order to catch a bit more of that heavenly taste. Gale watches me, chortling now and then. His amusement fades suddenly and his eyes darken, and I know that he's remembering what today means.

"I'm going to miss you," he says, staring into the forest. "I wish… I only wish this wasn't necessary."

"I have to do it, Gale," I say, sensing an argument. "For Prim. She needs money, or she'll never get out of here. I'm not making her work as a maid."

"You're not," Gale agrees. "You're doing that to yourself." His face is disapproving. "You deserve a better future than that, Katniss."

"It isn't about what I deserve," I exclaim huffily, crossing my arms over my chest. "You know I'm loath to leave her, don't you? I don't want to leave at all. But there's no other way. I've been thinking about this for years, and there really isn't another option."

"There _is," _says Gale, and I close my eyes. "Work for someone here. Abraham Gerlach would be a fine employer!"

"He'd pay me _half _of what Mister Greene has offered," I reply.

Gale snorts. "_Master _Greene, you mean," he says. "You'll have to call him that."

"I _know, _Gale." We've fallen into an argument, as I feared we would. I move closer to him, until we're bumping shoulders. "Please," I say. "Let's not argue. The fact of the matter is that I'm going, and it's too late to stop it now."

Gale sighs. "But… _Britain, _Katniss," he exclaims. "That's miles! And you know I could never afford a ride there, even if you were dying!" He clenches his fists. "How am I supposed to take care of you if I can't even reach you?"

"You don't have to take care of me anymore, Gale," I tell him. "Focus on Prim. You know how indisposed my mother has been. Prim needs someone strong, someone she can look up to."

"Of course," he says absentmindedly. One of his fingers has found a lock of my hair, and now he's twirling it, staring at the way it wriggles in the light. I'm tempted to tell him off for the bold move, but I'm sure he means nothing by it. Even if he does, it is much too late for courtship. I'm leaving at noon today, and the likelihood that he'll ever see me again is small. The thought brings pain to my heart, but I have to force it away. I can't afford to be weak, not now.

"I should go," I tell him, pulling away. "I have to hurry if I'm to be presentable by noon." The sun has made its way up the sky, and I can see that it's later than I anticipated.

Gale gets to his feet. "Allow me to walk you home," he says gently.

"Of course," I reply, already moving. Gale shadows me in silence as we walk towards my home. When we reach the door, the pain in his eyes increases.

"Katniss," he whispers. "Take care of yourself... I'll be waiting anxiously for your return."

"I'll be waiting too," I murmur, opening my door in an obvious dismissal. "Goodbye, Gale." He manages a tremulous smile before moving away, his powerful shoulders slumped in dejection. The pit of my stomach sinks as I watch him go. _Goodbye, Gale. I hope, one day, our paths will cross again. Old friend…_

I move back into the house to see that my mother is awake. She is moving around the tiny kitchen, checking cupboards that I know for sure are empty. I brush past her and locate the bread, wrapped in brown paper. "Here, mother," I say, pushing it into her hands and walking towards the bedroom.

Prim is struggling to get her scrappy dress over her head. Sighing, I straighten her arms and push them into the sleeves. "Little duck," I admonish gently, pulling the dress into place. "What were you getting yourself into?"

Her eyes are swimming with tears. "Is this the last time I'll see you?" she whimpers, ignoring my question.

I shake my head. "Of course not, Prim. As soon as I have enough money I'll send for you. We'll be together again."

"What about mother?"

I pause. "I… I'll try, Prim. I really will." I can tell that she isn't satisfied with the answer, but I don't have a better one to give her. Besides, she knows how I feel about mother. After father died, our mother abandoned us. Not physically, but it is as though her soul left her body for some time. She never left the bed, and we had to feed her extra in fear that she would die otherwise. We thought she had the typhoid, or something contagious, and for days we slept outside in the mud and stench. I could forgive her for all of that, but the fact that Prim was constantly terrified by our mother's living death is what made her actions unforgiveable. Prim has never really recovered from that episode, and I have never gotten over it. Nor do I think I ever will.

I have been daydreaming far too long. I swallow hard and envelop Prim in a hug. "It's time, sweetheart," I whisper, and she begins to sob into my shoulder. It hits me that I'm really leaving her and the tears slip from my eyes as well. My mother has come in from the kitchen and stares at us, dumbfounded. She doesn't understand what's going on.

Gently, I extricate myself from Prim. "You have to take care of her, mother," I say. "I'm going away, remember? You _must _take care of Prim. Gale and Miss Hazelle have promised to help, but you have to be there too."

"I-I…" My mother takes a step back. "Where are you going? What's happening?"

I move towards her and grab her hand, pressing hard enough that I can feel bones squeezing together. "_Take care of Prim," _I growl, looking her directly in the eye. For once, she doesn't flinch away from me. "_Promise me."_

"I-I…" She blinks dazedly. "I promise."

It will have to be enough.

Feeling as if it is my duty more than anything else, I wrap her in a quick embrace. "Goodbye, Mother," I murmur in her ear. "Take care of yourself." Something tells me that I will not be seeing her again, and I suppose it _does _make me a bit melancholy.

My mother is stiff under my embrace, and after a moment I pull away and turn back to Prim. The little girl's eyes are wet with tears, and she throws herself into my arms. "Don't go, Katniss," she blubbers. "Please don't go. I'll be happy if you stay. I don't mind it here." Her sobs pull at my heartstrings, but I close my eyes and make myself indifferent to her pleas.

"We'll be together before you know it, sweetheart," I say, petting her golden hair. "Don't be sad."

Her sobs quiet into sniffles. "Will you… will you write?"

"If I can find a ship that's coming here, I'll make sure to get a letter to the captain," I tell her. It's unlikely that such an occurrence will happen often, but I can't leave my little sister without some sort of promise. "Ssh," I add, because she's crying again. Sunlight hits my cheek from the window and I know I don't have enough time left. My heart squeezes and I clutch at Prim. "Don't forget," I whisper, feeling tears streak down my cheeks. "I love you. I love you so much." I pull away and she reaches out to me.

"Katniss! Katniss, please don't go!" I walk towards the door and she pads behind me like a frightened sheep. "Katniss!"

I open the door and pause, looking over my shoulder. Prim rubs at her puffy eyes and fixes me with a pathetic, wobbling smile. "Katniss…" she murmurs.

"Bye, little duck," I get out, and close the door.

_Until we meet again, my little one._

There is a part of me that wants to stand in front of the door forever, but time is running out. Wiping at my eyes, I hurry along the path that leads to the makeshift port. There aren't any massive ships that come in, but I understand that Master Greene's ship is larger than what is normal. As an extremely wealthy man, I should expect extravagance from him. No doubt his manor is massive, and _I'll _be expected to clean it.

I leave the town behind me and march resolutely towards the harbor. I can see clumps of people, and my eyes distinguish the residents of this post from the visitors. I can see three well-dressed people standing amidst a group of admirers. Any one of them could be Master Greene. I wouldn't know; I have not met the man yet. It was only luck that got me this position. Greene apparently lost a servant recently, just before his annual trip to Spain for business. Word got out, and I was the only one in town interested in the position. Maybe that means something. I don't know. Whatever it is, I'll endure it for Prim.

I push my way through throngs of curious people and steel myself. I am approaching two men and a woman. The woman must be a servant, and the older man is wearing the traditional garb of a butler. That leaves the man in the middle as my employer.

The first thing that makes me stop is his age. He can't be much older than me; he seems as though he could be eighteen or nineteen at most. The second extraordinary thing is his size. He is quite tall and well-muscled, and I feel like a dwarf in comparison. The third thing is that he's gorgeous. I have never been apt to describe a male as such, but the fact of the matter is that Master Greene is an extremely attractive man. His blue eyes look like chunks of glittering ice, and his blonde hair seems both sharp and soft, as if I could run my fingers through it and it would maintain its shape.

I shake the thoughts out of my head busily. _I can't think about him like that, _I remind myself. _He is my employer. That was extremely improper of me. _I have never really cared about impropriety, but in this case I think it really matters.

I am unsure of how to make my presence known. I clear my throat, but the stylish visitors are busy talking to the mayor and don't notice me. I move forward until I am standing next to the woman. She is watching Master Greene with a hawk-like concentration. I clear my throat again.

"Excuse me," I say, and she looks down.

"I don't suppose you're the new maid, are you?" she asks, seeming hopeful. When I nod my head slowly, she claps her hands in excitement. "Welcome to the team!" she exclaims, bending down and grabbing my hand. "My name is Effie," she says, shaking it up and down. "Effie Trinket! I'm delighted, Miss…?"

"Everdeen," I tell her. "I'm Katniss Everdeen." She's still holding my hand, so I force a smile onto my face. "It's a pleasure."

"Indeed it is, young lady!" she says. "When I heard that Master Greene was taking a serving girl from _Spain… _ Well, I'm sure you understand my concern!" She lets out a trilling laugh. "But it appears that you're of British stock, aren't you?"

"I was born in Britain," I say carefully. "I'm not quite sure I follow what you meant, though. Concerned?"

Effie looks around and then leans in conspiratorially. "Well, I didn't want a _native _in the home! Can you imagine?" She laughs again.

I can feel heat rising to my face. "My best friend is a native," I tell her. I watch with some sense of satisfaction as her buoyant smile deflates and her expression turns sour. I don't think I'm going to like Miss Effie.

The mayor has stopped talking to Master Greene. As he turns away, he catches sight of me standing next to Effie, and he grins. "Miss Everdeen! So it's _you _Mister Greene is going to be taking away from us!" His smile turns a bit sad. "I do hope to see you again, my dear."

"As do I," I tell him. The mayor is not any sort of a close friend, but his daughter can be considered a friend of mine. I enjoy Madge's company; she is a true gentlewoman and often has the most fascinating things to share with me.

The mayor takes his leave, and I am conscious of someone staring at me. Unwillingly I look up, and find myself staring directly into the eyes of my employer. Master Greene looks back at my coolly, obviously expecting me to lower my gaze. Suddenly (and irrationally) irritated, I decide to do just the opposite, and continue staring. There is silence for a moment, as the two of us glare at each other.

There is a guffaw, and the sound breaks my concentration. Flushing, I glance towards the source of the sound and find myself looking at the final visitor. "You've got fire, don't you?" the man chuckles. "That's not the proper demeanor of a _maid, _sweetheart."

The way he uses the term "sweetheart" is demeaning, and I want to call him out on it. Still, his freedom of speech denotes a rank higher than mine, so I drop my head in submission, cheeks flaming. "I am _most _apologetic," I growl. "This is my first time as a servant. Please forgive any lapses in character."

Master Greene snorts. "If I'd known you were new, I never would've signed you on." He crosses his arms over his chest. "Nobody mentioned anything."

My breath catches in my throat. "I'm sorry for my lack of experience," I say quietly, trying not to sound nasty or bitter. He can't take this job away from me, not now. "I'll do my best to make it up to you."

He begins to pace around me, and Effie and the other man scuttle to the side instinctively. "I don't know," he says, and I can see the smirk on his lips. "Maybe I should just send you home. You look ratty enough to belong here, even if you _are _from Britain."

My palms begin to sweat, and I bite my lip to keep from exploding. "Furthermore," Master Greene continues, sounding even more pleased with himself with every word. "I'm the one doing _you _a favor. I'm providing you with invaluable experience as a member of the serving class. Once you've worked with _me, _you can work anywhere. And I don't see any reason why I have to hire a little rat who doesn't know a fork from a spoon."

My face heats. "I know my cutlery," I say. "Sir," I add quickly.

To my surprise, he laughs out loud. "She knows her cutlery!" he says delightedly, looking towards Effie and the other man. "Well, I suppose I _have _to take her now!"

"I think you _should _take her," says the man. I am so shocked that I forget to breathe. "You do need another maid. I don't think Bonnie will ever agree to return."

Master Greene looks contemplative. "True," he says. "But I'm sure I could find a _British _serving girl, one with experience." He finally looks at me again. "What's your name, rat?"

"Katniss Everdeen," I say, grinding my teeth to keep the barrage of insults on the inside, where they belong.

"Well, Miss Everdeen," says Master Greene, rubbing his hands together. "I _suppose _I could take you on… but not without proper compensation."

"I'm not sure what you're getting at, sir," I exclaim.

"I believe that no pay for a month would fix the problem," Master Greene says. "That will be your _grace period, _of sorts. You didn't expect me to pay you while you learned what to do, did you?"

Of course I did. Every shilling that I earn I'll save up for Prim. I can't afford the setback of an entire month! Bright red with rage, I am about to tell "Master" Greene to shove his month of pay right back up his arse, but then I am reminded that wages from him are the only way to save my sister and I manage to bite my tongue.

"Is that acceptable, Miss Everdeen?" Master Greene prompts.

I take a deep breath. "Of course, sir," I say.

Master Greene smiles in a pleased way. "Now that _that's _settled… Haymitch and Effie will explain the rules of the household. _I'll _be in my cabin. I don't expect to see you until we reach land." He turns and walks down the gangway set behind us. The ship is, as I expected, bigger than the stock we usually see here. Perhaps I'll even get a half-decent cabin this time.

Effie sighs. "Come along, Miss Everdeen," she says. "You and I are bunking together and I'd like to settle a claim on our rooms _now, _before some crewmember does something to them." She hurries up the gangway and I stumble afterwards, the man named Haymitch bringing up our rear.

Effie leads us on deck, where a group of surly seamen are clustered together. They don't spare us a glance. With an impatient grumble, Effie grabs my arm and drags me towards a large hatch. We descend a polished staircase and find ourselves in a hallway that I think _must _be nice for a ship. Effie pulls me towards a particular door before nodding, grabbing the handle, and shoving me inside. She slams the door in Mister Haymitch's face, and I can hear him guffawing through the wood.

"Now, I'm sure you're used to sharing a room," says Effie, making it very clear that she finds such a thing disturbing. "_I, _however, am in possession of a private room in the servant's quarters, so you'll have to excuse me if I feel a bit uncomfortable."

"I understand," I mutter, moving towards one of the bunks set against the wall. "Would you prefer top or bottom?"

"Oh, bottom," Effie says immediately. "There's no way I'd crawl up that splintery ladder in the dark!" She gives a delicate shudder.

I give a slight shrug and move towards the ladder. As my hand grasps the wood, I realize that I am not in the possession of an important piece of knowledge. "Miss Trinket," I say. "What is Master Greene's first name?" I may have to call him "Master," but in my head I can think anything I like.

Effie blinks confusedly. "I don't see why you need to know."

"I'm just curious."

"Curiosity killed the cat!" Effie sings. When she notices my deadly glare, she stops grinning like a buffoon. "Promise you won't tell him I told you?"

This woman is ridiculous. "I promise, Miss Trinket."

She glances around, as though there might be someone hiding in the corners of the small room. "It's Cato," she says, in a dramatic whisper, and then claps her hand over her mouth. "Goodness! I shouldn't have told you."

"I don't see how it could possibly hurt," I reassure her, but she waves me away.

"I'm going to unpack," she says firmly. "I suggest you go back on deck. We're about to depart, and I suppose you want to catch a last glimpse of this _home _of yours."

She's right. I do. With a hurried goodbye, I race out of the cabin and rush up the steps to the main deck. There is a flurry of activity all around me; men carrying ropes and shifting sails. Cowed, I bolt for the rail that wraps around the deck and grab onto it, staring at the little town by the sea. Someone yells a phrase I don't recognize, and the ship yawns and shudders before starting to move. I realize that I am gripping the wood of the rail so hard that my fingers have lost circulation. Smoothing them out, I watch the town slowly moving farther and farther away, slipping out of my grasp. My family and my friends and even my acquaintances are being lost to me, and I don't think I'll be getting many of them back.

It's worth it. By working under Cato Greene, I am giving Prim a future. When she comes to Britain with me, I'll have saved enough for her to have a real life as a real British woman. I won't enjoy the months ahead, but I'll endure them. I'll do anything for Prim.

"I'll see you soon, little one," I whisper, and watch as the little town recedes into the distance.


End file.
